Heights heads Tony nominees list with 13 nods
Michael Kuchwara

NEW YORK—“In the Heights,” the little barrio musical that brought a fresh salsa and hip-hop beat to Broadway, dominated the 2008 Tony Award nominations Tuesday, picking up 13, more than any other show.
But it was a day of other new faces, too, particularly in the best-musical category, where “Heights” will compete against diverse, high-spirited shows such as “Passing Strange,” “Cry-Baby” and “Xanadu.” For Lin-Manuel Miranda, the star and composer of “In the Heights,” the nominations were a double treat. He received two (actor-musical and score) nominations for “Heights,” a slice of life look at the Latino residents of Upper Manhattan. The musical began last year off-Broadway before moving to the big time.
“It’s so much fun just doing the show — eight times a week,” Miranda said. “I’m doing what I love every day. So this is all just icing, gravy, whatever you put on the cake.” Yet Stew, author and star of “Passing Strange,” the story of one man’s journey through sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, did Miranda two better. He received four nominations for the same show — actor, score, book and orchestrations of a musical. It’s the first time that’s happened since Elizabeth Swados received four nominations in 1978 for “Runaways.”
“I would have been happy with whatever they gave us because this whole experience has been so unprecedented for us as rock musicians,” said Stew, who is making his Broadway debut in “Passing Strange.” “So we’re just surprised that we actually walk to work every day and the show’s still standing there. We’re surprised anytime we go on stage.” Tradition was served by Lincoln Centre Theatre’s elegant revival of “South Pacific.” The Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, first seen on Broadway nearly 60 years ago, received 11 nominations, including one for musical revival where its competition is “Gypsy,” “Sunday in the Park With George” and “Grease.”
As expected, “August: Osage County,” already a winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award, received a best-play nomination — and six others. Tracy Letts’ play about a dysfunctional Oklahoma family faces “The 39 Steps,” Patrick Barlow’s spoof of the Alfred Hitchcock film favourite; Conor McPherson’s “The Seafarer,” a Yuletide tale of a devilish poker game; and Tom Stoppard’s “Rock ‘n’ Roll,” a look at recent Czech history interspersed with a cavalcade of pop music.